Catching the Target

However, in that stalemate, a cold smile appeared on Ruixiuli's lips. With a slight thought, the seemingly sturdy bone blade suddenly disintegrated in mid-air, instantly shattering into dozens of sharp bone spike fragments!

Most of the fragments shot out like shrapnel, slamming even more fiercely into the light shield, causing violent ripples in the energy barrier and flickering light!

Just as the light shield trembled and the energy became slightly disordered, several tiny bone spur fragments, like cunning venomous snakes, darted precisely through the tiny gaps and disappeared into the thick darkness deep within the passage!

Pfft! Pfft!

Several dull thuds of flesh being pierced echoed from the depths of the passage, followed by a suppressed groan of pain! In the darkness, it seemed as if warm liquid splashed out instantly.

****

The three figures landed one after another in front of the entrance to the passage.

A strong, almost suffocating odor assaulted my senses—a mixture of aged, solidified engine oil, thick, dark brown rust, damp, thriving blackish-green mold, incompletely burned, low-quality fuel, and some indescribable, suspicious fermentation substance, intensely irritating my nasal cavity and throat.

Ruixiuli closed his eyes and focused his senses for a moment, then let out a dissatisfied snort, "Tch, failed to completely capture this guy; he burrowed deep inside."

By this time, Bowers had already deftly dismantled the defensive magic array at the entrance. He frowned as he examined the deep, narrow passage inside: the walls were either rough rocks covered in damp, sticky grime and blackish-yellow grime, or the twisted, deformed interiors of abandoned metal pipes covered in dark red rust and ugly weld scars.

Bowers frowned even more. "It wouldn't be wise to rush into such a cramped and awful place."

These damned goblins really make the most of their small stature when it comes to escaping and hiding!

"I'm going in! You stay outside and keep watch!" Ruixiuli decided decisively, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I can roughly guess what tricks this little mouse is up to."

"Be extremely careful!" Bowers warned in a stern voice.

Jielusi immediately raised her staff, a soft yet bright white orb of light condensing at its tip, and hurled it towards the entrance of the passage. The moment the light shone, a ripple flashed, and Ruixiuli's figure swayed.

"Be careful!" Jielusi also said.

Without hesitation, and disregarding the nauseating filth, Ruixiuli bent down and crawled straight into the dark passage that could only accommodate one person hunched over.

The passageway wasn't a straight line; instead, it was a maze of twists and turns, filled with random branching paths and dead ends, like a chaotic network of rabbit holes dug out without any order. Some of the branching paths were deliberately blocked by abandoned giant gears, twisted and barbed wire, and even iron plates painted with eerie warning symbols.

Ignoring this, Ruixiuli relied on his powerful senses to crawl straight towards the deepest part where the energy fluctuations were strongest. A layer of solid, pitch-black light shone from his body, covering him like flowing ink.

After crawling for quite some distance, the passageway finally ended. He entered a slightly more spacious area—although he was still too short to stand upright, at least there was some room to move his hands and feet.

The ground was muddy dirt, or covered with uneven, black, oily scrap metal sheets. The corners were piled with all sorts of junk that smelled of decay, including leftover bones and moldy food scraps.

This is by no means a comfortable refuge; it's more like a mole's burrow hastily carved out of ruins, filled with a sense of temporaryity and haste.

Soon, his gaze pierced through the layers of obstacles and locked onto Bulukka was huddled behind a pile of debris on the other side.

When Bulukka saw that Ruixiuli had actually followed them in, a look of desperate rage crossed his face. He gritted his teeth and jerked a metal lever in front of him!

Boom--!

A violent explosion suddenly erupted! The entire underground shelter was instantly engulfed by raging flames and shockwaves! Deafening collapses continued unabated, and choking smoke billowed out from the entrances and gaps in the passageways!

Jielusi and Bowers, who were guarding the entrance, were also engulfed by the sudden shockwave of the explosion, with debris and dust flying into their faces!

However, a few hundred meters away from the explosion center of the shelter, in a narrow alleyway near the direction they came from, a seemingly intact rusted iron wall suddenly made a slight "creaking" sound, and a piece of iron disguised as wall plaster was suddenly lifted off from the inside!

Bulukka peeked out from the extremely hidden exit, looking around warily. Once he was sure it was safe, he quickly jumped out. He deftly took off his clothes, which were stained and smelled of gunpowder, and took out clean clothes from a small bag he carried with him to change into. He even changed his shoes and socks meticulously.

Next, he covered his hair with a clean, ordinary-looking hat and quickly applied camouflage to his face to alter his skin tone and facial contours.

The whole process was smooth and quick, taking less than a minute. Bulukka had transformed into a completely different, unremarkable person, appearing exceptionally skilled and experienced.

But just as he straightened up, ready to blend into the crowd, his body suddenly froze—three figures exuding a powerful sense of oppression appeared silently like ghosts, surrounding him firmly in the middle.

"Oh, in such a hurry, where are you headed?" Ruixiuli crossed his arms, a teasing smile on his face, and looked at him leisurely.

Bulukka looked up sharply, shocked, at Ruixiuli —he was spotless, without a speck of dust, showing no sign of the disheveled state one might expect from someone who had just emerged from a violent explosion and collapsed ruins!

"The one that went in to chase you was just a worthless undead puppet that I controlled remotely." Ruixiuli casually revealed the truth, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "You goblins, you think you can fool everyone with a little cleverness? Don't be so naive as to think that only you sorcerers know how to cheat!"

"It's such a pity about that undead puppet!" Bowers clicked his tongue, his tone slightly regretful. "Such an intricate puppet must have been quite troublesome to make, and the accompanying alchemical materials weren't cheap either."

Without a word, Jielusi waved her staff, casting a flexible yet powerful binding spell that firmly restrained Bulukka, rendering him unable to move.

All three of them couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief; this long chase was finally coming to an end.